Have you ever seen the moon during the day? Why is the Moon, even being the night object, still visible in the morning? Since it is present, you can clearly see it. We often believe that the moon comes only at night, and when the sun starts to set, the moon begins to rise. But it is not the fact. You can even see the moon in the afternoon. While it might seem a little bit odd to see the moon in the morning, it’s actually a normal and natural occurrence.
Hold on! Let’s see why can we see the moon during the day
Why Do We See The Moon During The Day?
The moon has been portrayed as a nighttime object in books, stories, novels, and movies. The weatherman also denotes the Sun as the symbol for the day and the Moon for the night. However, the moon is at the same time during the day as well as at night. However, you need a bit of extra effort to spot the moon during the day.
The moon reflects the sun’s light, and the brightness of the moon depends on how near or far the moon is from the Earth. The moon is the brightest celestial object next to the sun. But the moon is not always visible during the day. It is because of the Earth’s atmosphere and the orbital phase of the moon. If there were no atmosphere on the Earth, then the moon would be visible at any time from the Earth.
Phases Of The Moon:
The moon is almost about one-fourth the diameter of the Earth and takes around 27.3 days to complete one orbit of our planet, the Earth. The moon has four different phases depending on its orbital movement with the sun and the Earth. The full moon occurs when the Moon is opposite to the Sun, and it appears full and the new moon happens when the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun, and the Moon is not visible to us.
The other two phases usually happen between the new moon and the full moon, that’s when we see it gradually decreasing. These changing phases play an important role in why can we see the moon during the day at certain times but not others.
Similar to the stars and planets, the moon is also there in the sky during the daytime, revolving within the celestial dome. As the sky is so bright during the day, we can’t be able to see the stars and planets, but due to the moon’s apparent luminosity, we can easily spot it.
How To See The Moon During The Day?
To see the moon during the daytime, the moon has to pass through the scattered light from the sun. The moon’s visibility also varies depending on its phase. When it is near the new moon, the moon is very close to the sun and can’t be visible during the day. When it is near the full moon, you can see the moon only when the sun sets.
You might be thinking that the moon during the day looks 2D. Craters, highlands, and lunar maria might not be clear during the day as that of night.
When Is the Moon Most Visible During Daylight?
As said earlier, the moon comes opposite the Sun in the sky, and hence, we can see the complete face of the moon reflecting the sunlight. Due to the rotation of the Earth, the moon starts rising as the sun sets. During just a few days before a full moon, when you look at the eastern sky, you can spot almost the full moon rising just before the sun sets. And a few days after the full moon, when you look into the western sky, you may notice the moon setting as the Sun starts rising.
When it is two to three days before the new moon, the moon becomes invisible to people on Earth, due to its position in the sky. It is also due to the scattered rays of the sun being brighter than the moon.
As the Moon is relatively closer to Earth, the sunlight it reflects appears brighter than other distant objects, including stars or other planets. The stars we see from the Earth are billions of times less bright than the Sun and a million times less luminous than the moon. The Sun’s scattered light in our atmosphere is so dense that it makes the starlight weaker during the day, but the moon’s reflected light is still visible.
How Often Is The Moon Visible During The Daytime?
You can see the moon during the day for 25 days out of the month for the whole year. The remaining 5 days are around the new moon or the full moon.
The moon’s visibility during the day is influenced by various factors, such as the seasons, the phases of the moon, and the sky is on a particular day.
The first quarter, i.e., the first week after the new moon, and the third quarter, i.e., one week after the full moon, offer the best opportunities to watch the moon in the daylight. You can spot the first quarter moon rising in the eastern sky in the afternoon, and the third quarter moon visible in the morning, setting in the west. During this time, you have the longest visibility time of the moon along with the Sun, about five to six hours per day.
Final Thoughts
We usually see the moon and the stars in the dark sky at night. But sometimes, you might have spotted the moon in the daytime as well. Why is this so?!! Why can we see the moon during the day? This question often hits our minds. The reason is so clear. We can see the moon in the daytime because it is always present in the sky, whether it is day or night.
The phases of the moon, its orbital movement, and the distance of the moon from the Earth highly influence the visibility of the moon during the day.
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